At the inception of the 19th century, Calcutta was flourishing as a young city. As the seat of the British East India Company’s Government, it was regarded as worthy capital, both for its business potential and its magnificent edifices. Yet, the city sadly missed a hall to meet and make merry.
In 1804, the decision was taken to construct the Town Hall, which was to serve as a venue for public gatherings. In 1807, the construction work began under the supervision of the then Chief Engineer Col. John Garstin. In 1813,the construction was completed at a cost of Rupees seven lakhs only.
The Town Hall of Calcutta threw opened its doors to the public on March 22, 1814.The Roman Doric style two-storied building, which stood in a rectangular block with two porticos, supported by rows of pillars had suddenly became the centre-piece of attraction.
Since that day, the Town Hall has remained witness to innumerable important gatherings of historic importance. Fast forward to a pleasant Sunday morning of November 26 and this grand edifice stood testament to yet another marquee event – the flag off of the EIMG Vintage Fiesta 2023.
Organised by Eastern India Motoring Group (EIMG) – a community of serious heritage vehicle collectors from all across Eastern India – the line up for the EIMG Vintage Fiesta 2023 included as many as 50 rare heritage two and four wheelers which were selectively handpicked by EIMG Founder & President Shrivardhan Kanoria, himself a restorer and collector of national repute.
By 8 AM, the vehicles started to arrive and aided by the EIMG marshals, these vehicles were parked in a predetermined sequence in front of the majestic Town Hall. What a sight it was to behold with these horseless carriage basking in the winter sun.
Once the lining up of these heritage vehicles concluded, it was time for the group members to share some camaraderie, exchanging notes & valuable information about these ageless beauties, over a hot cuppa and some delicious packed breakfast.
There were several noteworthy heritage vehicles which participated in this vintage gala. Few worth mentioning were Shrivardhan Kanoria’s 1931 Chevrolet Big 6, Avik Naha’s 1938 Rolls-Royce 25/30 (making its Kolkata debut and a real stunner), Rajiv Ghosh’s 1947 Chevrolet Fleetmaster & 1949 Buick Super, Subhajit Kumar’s 1962 Standard Herald, Sumit Periwal’s 1956 Land Rover, Kunal Banerji’s 1926 Studebaker Erskine, Sourav Sett’s 1947 MGY, Karnani Family’s 1938 Rolls-Royce 25/30, Debaprem Chatterji’s 1950 Austin A40, Terrance Lobo’s 1940 Triumph, Harjit Singh Dhanjal’s 1956 Ariel, Afzul Hossain’s 1923 Panther Sloper and Onurag Chatterji’s 1974 Yezdi to name a few. Amongst other exotic vintage and classic cars were the Italian Fiats, a part of the ‘Fiat Users Club Calcutta (FUCC)’, a subsidiary of EIMG.
But the one that really stood out among the galaxy of heritage stars was Kanoria’s Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost. This particular example is a 1926 (oldest car in the show) year of manufacture, and what makes this car more special is that it was built in the America’s Springfield factory. This design termed as the ‘Tilbury Sedan’ under the hallmark of ‘Rolls-Royce Custom Coachwork’ was their catalogue design. This beauty is powered by a 7.3 litre engine. A real headturner!
Post some important announcements and a quick briefing session by the EIMG President; it was time for these heritage motors to be flagged off from Town Hall for the final destination – Club De Golf.
Imagine a convoy of 50 heritage vehicle driving down the majestic Red Road flanked by the Maidan on one side. It was a sight for the City of Joy to watch as these beauties elegantly rolled together towards New Town.
It is worth mentioning that on this day alone, each of these heritage vehicles clocked around 60-70 kilometres on their odometers (garage to garage) which is an incredibly great deal for these vehicles and a testimony for the superlative effort put in by the owners who have kept the fire burning in their hearts.
After reaching Club De Golf located inside the picturesque New Town Golf Club, the heritage vehicles were displayed for a vintage rendezvous with their Club members and visitors. A thanks giving ceremony followed where each of the owners were felicitated with a specially curated memento for upholding the legacy of heritage motoring. Present on this special occasion was Mr. Debashis Sen, Chairman of NKDA & CEO of HIDC; Col. Indrajit Roy, GM – New Town Business Club; Ms. Akansha Pandey, Owner – Club De Golf; Mr. Vineet Choudhury, Owner – Bombay Beach Resort and Mr. Shrivardhan Kanoria, Founder & President – EIMG.
This was followed by a sumptuous beer luncheon which was hosted by Club De Golf for all the members of EIMG.
Power Drive 